Hello everyone, I just joined the forum so I thought I'd introduce myself. I live and hunt mostly in Utah, but my wife's family lives in Eastern Washington and we usually visit them in November or December every year. I can only watch so much football and play so many card games, so I always try to sneak in a little hunting while I'm there. I thought it'd be good to join and learn more about hunting in the Northwest.
I grew up hunting mule deer, elk, and rabbits in Southeastern Utah, but always wanted to get into bird hunting. There were and are very few game birds in the area where I grew up and my mom does not like dogs, so I never was able to get into it while I was younger. After nine long years at the university I decided that once I graduated and got a grown up job and a grown up house that I definitely wanted to get my first bird dog. When I needed a break from writing my dissertation I'd research bird dogs as I new almost nothing about them. I managed to get myself invited on a few duck hunts during graduate school, which I really enjoyed, so I new that I wanted a dog that could handle cold-weather waterfowl. However, I really wanted to get into upland hunting too. Utah has a rather poor pheasant population, but we have a decent number of chukars and grouse. As I learned more about chukar hunting I quickly came to the conclusion that I wanted a pointing dog. This left me a little mystified because I was reading about most of the popular breeds that either pointed well or could retrieve well in cold water. After a lot more research and talking to some breeders of various breeds I found the solution in the European versatile breeds and settled on a Drahthaar (DD). Fortunately we have a very active breed club and many top notch breeders here close by. I picked up Allie, a black female DD in January 2012. We've both been learning this sport together and have had a great time so far. From our first hunt where she ran full speed through several coveys of huns and sage grouse without the hint of a point, to the last chukar hunt of the season where she held rock steady on a pair of birds while I flushed and missed both of them
, it's been fun seeing her learn and really love to hunt. When she chased down a crippled GWT over 100 yards off shore on the Great Salt Lake in 10-degree water I knew I had found what I was looking for in a dog. We've both still have a lot of learning to do, but I think we're well on our way.
Maybe we'll see you in the Chukar hills this December... I'll be the one with the ugly dog and the ugly shotgun missing all of the birds.
